From a Fist Fight to the Bible

A couple of nights ago I went to a popular part of town where single men often hangout. I was hoping to meet someone willing to play a card game with me, and then steer the conversation to spiritual topics. In the country where I serve as a disciple-maker, men and women who are not married or closely related are not supposed to be together, not even in public. For me to be able to talk to any men, it means leaving my wife behind or leaving her to talk to girls on her own. Tonight, I had to leave her at home.  

God Directs Disciple-Maker’s Footsteps

After praying to the Lord, asking him to lead me to the right guys, I began wandering around a while. After being rejected a few times, I finally found a group of guys willing to let me play a board game with them. This group of young men was well known in this area, as we walked by, they were greeted by everyone, or they were doing the greeting, even the guards in the mall entrance knew them.  

We tried to sit in a cafe, but the waiter told us we were not allowed to play games there. I started to notice that this group seemed rougher than others and more obnoxious, they would make inappropriate comments at every girl that passed by (exceptionally bad in this culture) and were constantly yelling or poking fun at someone.

Unexpected Escalation

Moreover, as we were walking to a new place, two of them started yelling insults at each other; quickly escalating to an all out fist fight. I was not sure what to do, and the eldest in the group, who I will call “OldG” seemed embarrassed and apologized for his friend’s unruly behavior.  

After they broke up the fight and calmed down, we found a place to sit, and I began to explain to them that the prophet Solomon taught us that it is more honorable to ignore an insult rather than return blows or words. “OldG” was extremely interested in my words. The others nodded in assent but seemed uninterested, they were more focused on their phones, or the board game we were playing.

Hunger For Wisdom

I asked “OldG” if I could show him the book of proverbs on my phone. He said yes, and after he read for a while, he asked me to download the app onto his phone. This excited me, and I praised God for leading me to him. I helped him download the bible app we were using, told him which translations would be easiest for him, and I made sure to get his number. I am going to meet him again tonight, and I pray his openness is genuine and that the Lord can use me to continue showing him more of His word! 

Essential Strategies in the Disciple-Making Process 

This is a real-life story of an underground disciple-maker serving in a highly restricted nation. We wanted to take a second look at this story and map out the strategy and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit that disciple-makers depend on to reach the unreached. The strategy is based on Jesus’ detailed instructions on disciple-making found in Matthew 10, Luke 10, and Matthew 28, and serves as a blueprint for us.

“A couple nights ago I went to a popular part of town where single men often hangout.” 

• Matthew 10:5-6, These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” 
• #1 Go in confidence and boldness knowing you are sent by Jesus Himself. (Christ’s Three Commissions – The instructions of Jesus when commissioning the Twelve to reach Galilee (Matthew 10) and the Seventy-Two to reach the rest of Israel (Luke 10) are also his instructions for the Great Commission. 
• #2 Go specifically to where you are sent. What is your area of assignment? Where are you best and naturally set up to reach that specific group? Example, if you are a gardener, join a gardening club! Seek out natural areas of connection. 
• #3 Go to areas of high engagement. High probability. High saturation.  

“I was hoping to meet someone willing to play a card game with me, and then steer the conversation to spiritual topics.”

• #4 Go with faith and expectation.  
• #5 Go with a tentative plan for engagement. In this case a simple card game is the doorway into meaningful conversations. 
• #6 Go with the resolve to cultivate simple to serious to spiritual conversations. You can guide the conversation. 

“In the country where I serve as a disciple maker, men and women who are not married or closely related are not supposed to be together, not even in public. For me to be able to talk to any men, it means leaving my wife behind or leaving her to talk to girls on her own.”

• #7 Go, striving to conduct yourself in a culturally appropriate way upfront and maintain that mindset all the way throughout the process. Maintaining existing cultural norms is important to us throughout the disciple making process. This is why our disciple makers focus on reaching a cultural insider and empowering them to reach their own people with the gospel. 

“After praying to the Lord, asking him to lead me to the right guys, I began wandering around a while.” 

• Luke 10:3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 
• #8 Go in complete and total reliance on God. Like a sheep among wolves. The lamb is in a setting of supernatural total dependence on God amid wolves. 

“After being rejected a few times, I finally found a group of guys willing to let me play a board game with them.” 

• Matthew 10:14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 
• #9 Go and shake the rejection-dust off. Do not dwell on rejection. Do not allow rejection to disqualify you from your mission.
• Luke 10:4b, “and greet no one on the road.” Meaning, keep going. Do not be distracted by rejection. It is a natural part of the process.

“This group of young men seemed to be well known in this area, as we walked by, they seemed to be greeted by everyone, or they were doing the greeting, even the guards in the mall entrance knew them.”

• #10 Go and identify the persons of peace. A Person of Peace is a nonbeliever willing to gather a group of nonbelievers to go on a journey of discovery with them. Often a person of influence who will be the doorway into an entire household. The goal is the household, or the friend group. This is not “extraction evangelism.” We do not remove a single person from their household, network, or oikos.  
• Luke 10:6, And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you.
• Matthew 10:12 As you enter the house, greet it. 

“I started to notice that this group seemed rougher than others and more obnoxious, they would make inappropriate comments at every girl that passed by (exceptionally bad in this culture) and were constantly yelling or poking fun at someone.”

• #11 Go and expect the hardest places to yield the greatest results. God often will use the most unlikely. The tax collectors, fishermen, and the Samaritan women. Those disqualified by society.  

“Moreover, as we were walking to a new place, two of them started yelling insults at each other and ended up getting into a real fist fight.”  

• #12 See #8, Go in complete and total reliance on God. Like a sheep among wolves. The lamb is in a setting of supernatural total dependence on God amid wolves. 

“I explained to them that the prophet Solomon taught us that it is more honorable to ignore an insult rather than return blows or words. I asked “OldG” if I could show him the book of proverbs on my phone. He said yes, and after he read for a while, he asked me to download the app onto his phone.”

• #13 Invite them on a discovery journey. Learn to go slow to go fast. Not presentation, but discovery. Not blurting spiritual buzzwords too early but keeping the conversation going. Not preaching but listening. Let the Holy Spirit be the teacher. Emphasis on taking people on a journey of discovery using Stories, from Creation to Christ. The Holy Spirit is the teacher, we just facilitate. Do not be preachy or people will put you in a box before you get to share what you have to say. 

Be Trained in Disciple-Making Strategies Just like the Ones From this Story!

Introducing our new revolutionary disciple making course. This course is based on Jesus’ detailed instructions on disciple-making found in Matthew 10, Luke 10, and Matthew 28, and serves as a blueprint for us. We have actively applied and taught these methods in challenging regions of the Middle East, starting in Iran and now reaching over 70 countries, including the West. Join us in this free online course! 

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